On the pulse

“We cannot continue to invest in the same service models of the past. We need a radical shift in how the NHS sees itself, from a hospital service for the ill, to a nationwide service to keep us healthy.”

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Behind the Rituals

Why do you do the things you do? How much of nursing practice is based on ritual and myth and how much on sound evidence? If you have a ritual you’d like to discuss here, email nursingtimescomments@emap.com

Patients have long been told not to eat or drink for hours before surgery because of the risk of pulmonary aspiration, but is this really necessary?Some studies have suggested that light meals and liquids are not harmful before surgery, and that fasting can sometimes cause adverse effects, but many guidelines continue to insist on complete fasting.What do you think?

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